The Masked Man
by ameyxo
Summary: Malfoy has been in love with Hermione ever since first year. Now both seventh years, Malfoy must face the facts; it's now or never and theres a Maked Ball coming up, the prefect spot for a little Romance... I was 13 when I wrote this... go easy on me
1. Hermione's Bad Day

Hermione was having a hard day, First she woke up at three am, because Ron and his friends were trying to see what would happen if they put a charm on Hermione's hair to turn it a hot pink colour, it had token hours before the redo charm had worked, but it still had a bright pink tinge to it. While she was eating her breakfast a brown owl had landed in her toast and tipped over her milk. In Transfiguration class she got note from Malfoy that said she should wear a paper bag over her head to spare him, when she had tried to send a note back saying he could shove his note up his fat hairy… well you know… she got caught by Professor McGonagall and got detention. Next in her muggle studies class, she fell asleep and got another detention from Professor Victor. And to make it worse: she had potions next. The only thing she looked forward to is the Masked Christmas Dance being held that very night, sadly no one had asked her, Well accepted Ron who was only her friend, Harry was coming back from trying to find Horruxes to go to the Christmas Masked Ball with Ginny. Sighing She walked slowly towards the dungeon where potions class was being held.

"Aww… There you are Hermione, what keep you?" Asked Professor Slughorn.

"Sorry Professor I'm just having one of those days." She sighed.

"Never the less it would be no fair to the others, Hermione I'm afraid you just lost GryffindorTen points."

Hermione sighed as she took her seat next to Ron.

"Whoa you are really having a bad day ain't you?" Said Ron.

"Yes a rather bad one too and I just can't wait for tonight to come."

Malfoy looked at the back of Hermione's beautiful wavy brown hair. He sighed as she told Weasel about what a bad day she'd been having, including that part about him. Oh how he wish he could go up and say sorry and tell her how much he loved her then kiss her, it would mean everything to him if she told him she loved him too. He couldn't take it anymore, he would asked her to that dance one way or another even if she said no even in his heart he would no he had tried.

_Dear Hermione__How are you? I'm not doing __to__ well, '__Cause__ you see I'm hopelessly in love with you…. _

No wait cross that out no good…

_Hey Hermione__Meet me at the dance tonight or else…_

NO!!! Cross it out!

_Hermione__I feel like you should know this… your hair shines like a bright day's sun. Your face lights up like an angel's. __Your cheeks so rosy, your lips so cozy.__ Will you please meet me at the dance tonight? There I'll be at 7: 30 waiting for you. Wearing a mask made of blue. __In the middle of the dance floor waiting for you.__Signed Your One._

Malfoy saw her bag was open right in front of him, he could see the planer sticking out slowly he bent down and slipped the note into the planer; a place where beloved Hermione would not fail to see it.


	2. Ron's Lies

Hermione fell on her bed face first and sighed heavy.

"Hard day?" Lavender asked.

"You bet." Hermione sighed.

"Have you started on that potions project yet?" Lavender asked.

Hermione sighed, "No I haven't had the chance yet, to busy with my other homework, great! Another thing on my to-do list."

Lavender smiled proudly, "I finished it last week."

Lavender liked the fact that she had finished before Hermione, the top student of their class.

"Good for you." Hermione snapped.

"Whoa what's eatin' you?" Lavender took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry today is just so hard you know?" Hermione sighed, "Better start on that project."

She poured everything in her bag onto her bed.

"Hey what's that?" Lavender asked, spotting the only note that was loose in Hermione's bag.

"Great," Said Hermione, "Now my stuff's falling out of place."

Lavender snatched the note and opened it up, read it and started giggling, "Hermione this isn't a note for class… It's a LOVE NOTE!!!!"

"What?" Hermione yelled, "Give it here!"

"No!" Giggled Lavender, "It's so beautiful."

"Lavender!" Hermione shouted.

"Hermione, I feel like you should know this…" Lavender started to read.

"Lavender!" Hermione cried.

Lavender continued, "Your hair shines like a bright day's sun. Your face lights up like an angel's."She stopped for a moment, "Aww…"

"Lavender!" Hermione cried once more but Lavender continued to read."Your cheeks so rosy, your lips so cozy."

Hermione made a grab for the note but failed to get it.

"Will you please meet me at the dance tonight? There I'll be at 7: 30 waiting for you. Wearing a mask made of blue. In the middle of the dance floor waiting for you. Signed Your One." Lavender finished and tossed the note to Hermione who snap it and read it.

"Hey…it is a love note… But I've already made plans to go to the dance with Ronald… I can't go."

Lavender snorted, "Yeah but Ron's just your friend right? So he shouldn't mind."

"Yeah…yeah! Your right, oh my god! Thanks so much Lavender!" Hermione ran out of the room and down the stairs.

"Aren't I always right?" Lavender said to herself."

Ron!" Hermione yelled trying to catch up with Ron, "Ron! Wait up!"

Ron turned around and when he saw Hermione he smiled, "Hey Herm."

"Ron…listen I can't go to the dance with you."

Ron gave a weird look, "and why not?"

"Because…last minute plans!" Hermione smiled, she didn't want Ron to know about the love letter, he'd just tease her, boys never understand things like this."

With who?" Ron said starting to get angry, he thought him and Hermione could take their friendship to the next step!

"Well, I don't really know yet."

"Oh I see! If you just don't wanna go with me tell me right off, it hurts less that way!" Ron yelled, his face getting red.It hurts less that way? What was the supposed to mean?

Hermione thought."No see I got this love note and…"Love note?

Man Hermione could just tell me right away, well two can play at this game!

Ron thought."I wrote it!" He lied.

"You did?" Hermione asked.

"Yes! I love you!"

"Oh Ron… you could have just told me…"

"I thought it would be more romantic this way."

"Oh Ron… It was it really was!" Hermione smiled.

"So are we still on for the dance then?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but you don't have to wait for me in the middle of the dance floor, you can just come with me."

Hermione smiled and reached up and gave Ron a soft kiss on the lips, "See you there."


	3. Getting Ready

Hermione, Ginny, Parvati and Lavender were all getting ready for the masked ball. Hermione was telling the girls how the one who wrote the note was Ron.  
Ginny snorted, "Ron? You mean my brother Ron? Don't make me laugh, he couldn't write something that romantic if his life was on it."  
Hermione shook her head, "Maybe it's a whole new side of Ron we've never seen before."  
"I think he just wants to have a snogging fest with you." Parvati said.  
"I dated Ron last year, trust me he couldn't think that up, he's such a pig." Lavender said.  
"I really believe him, he was so sweet he said he thought it would be more romantic if we meant up at the dance that way, how sweet."  
"Eww…talking this way about my brother makes me wanna cough up my lungs." Ginny said.  
"My sister Padma said he was so rude at the Yule Ball." Parvati said.  
"I think he's actually telling the truth this time, come on guys give him a chance."  
Everyone but Hermione sighed, "Fine." They all said.

"You told her what?" Said Seamus with his eyes wide open.  
Ron sighed, he should have never told Seamus, but he had no one else to tell seeing as Harry went of to find the Horruxes.  
"I told her I wrote the love letter so she wouldn't be dumping me."  
"Ron," Said Seamus slowly, "Have you ever thought that someone actually did write Hermione a love letter, besides since when are you two going out?"  
"Okay first of all, who else would like Hermione besides me, Viktor or Neville. Secondly I'm sure, I mean did you see the way she was hanging off me at Dumbledore's funeral? And at Fleur and Bill's wedding, we danced to all the slow dances and you should have seen how close she was to me, mate."  
Seamus had a funny look on his face, "Err… You wouldn't really call that hooking up… Unless you snogged her?"  
"Well," Ron got this grin on his face and lifted his eyebrows, "Earlier on there was a lot of snogging."  
"You mean today?" Seamus smiled, "Way to go Ron!"  
"Oh please," Said a girl's voice, who had just arrived in, "Hermione told me it was just a peck, those don't mean a thing."  
"Ginny!" gasped Ron, "What are you doing in here?"  
Ginny rolled her eyes, "You know I'm allowed in here, Ron."  
"But we could have been changing, you should have knocked."  
"Never mind that," She said throwing a package at him, "Mom sent these dress robes for you, much better then those ones you used at the Yule Ball."  
Ron opened it, they were way better, they didn't even have a hint of lace etheir they were a silvery silk colour. With a Sliver mask to go with it.  
"Thanks Ginny." He said.  
"No problem." She said standing there for a couple of seconds.  
"Umm…you can get out now." Ron said.  
"Oh right, see yeah around boys."

The Hogwarts Masked Ball started at 11 o'clock, the clock now said ten and Hermione still hadn't managed to straighten her hair, which actually didn't seem to want to agree with her, but she had managed to get the last of the pink out of it.  
"Lavender," She cried helplessly, "I need you."  
Lavender had never really been a good friend of Hermione, mostly when she had been going out with Ron, but this year Hermione needed new friends more then ever, that's when Lavender and Parvati had started talking to her more, they became better friends over time.  
"What is it?" Said Lavender coming out of the bathroom and of course looking beautiful with her hair down and purple glow of makeup on.  
"My hair," Said Hermione, "It won't agree!"  
"Here," Said Lavender throwing a book at Hermione that said, _ Why Spend Hours Trying to Make Yourself Look Prefect When You Can Just Cast a Spell? _"Try this."  
"Oh," Smiled Hermione "So this is your secret?"  
"Pretty much," Said Lavender, "Natural beauty is in there too."  
Hermione started to flip though the book casting spells and asking Lavender if she liked it, they finally found a spell which made her hair fall down in soft loose beautiful curls, and soft pink make up to match her dress, mask and tiara.  
Hermione's pink dress fell down to her ankles; it was light pink and had no straps. Her mask was also a light pink; it had pink stones to match her tiara and only covered her eyes.  
"You look beautiful!" Cried Lavender hugging Hermione.  
"Thanks so do you."  
Lavender and Parvati had matching everything, matching pale purple dress, which only went up to their knees. Their masks were a darker purple with feathers and they had on pale purple hair bands.  
Ginny was wearing a sky blue gown which like Hermione's went down to her ankles and was also strapless, but it was also more puffy. She had gone with a natural makeup look, soft pink lip-gloss, etc. Her mask was a blue sparkly mask, which only covered her eyes.  
"We all look great." Smiled Hermione.

Malfoy was wishing he hadn't sent Hermione that note, he was not ready to tell her, he just wasn't. But he didn't want to stand Hermione up.  
"Think Draco, think… I know!"  
He ran to his bed and reached under it and grabbed a book, "I new taking this from that first year girl would come in handy."

The book read, _ Why Spend Hours Trying to Make Yourself Look Prefect When You Can Just Cast a Spell? _and Malfoy flipped to the hair dying and eye colouring part, whispering a spell he dyed his hair a dirty blonde instead of the bright blonde he had it and he also made himself five inches taller.

"If this doesn't trick her I dunno what will." He smirked.

"Hi Draco," Said Crab coming in the room, "Did you grow taller?"

"Crap!" Said Malfoy smacking his head, "How'd ya know it was me?"

"Well for one thing you're the only person who gels his hair back like that and that smirk thing? Yeah that's like your thing to do."

"I should have known!" Said Malfoy running into the bathroom and washing his hair.

No more smirking, he told himself.

"It needs more," he said looking in the mirror.

He turned his eyes from the pale blue to Chocolate brown and then he found a pair of glasses he snatched away from a kid, he could see through them fine, they were only glass.

"Man, even as a different person I am still hot."

"Why are you doing all that?" Crab asked.

"Umm…As a joke, I'm going to trick Harry when he gets here for ratting me in, they almost didn't let me come this year. But I told him I was under a spell when I was working for You Know Who."

"Nice." Said Crab, "I told them I had nothing to do with it."

Malfoy rolled his eyes; Crab was so dumb.


	4. Panic at the Dance!

Hermione was waiting at the middle of the dance floor at twelve o'clock sharp.  
"Where is Ron?" Hermione whispered, after fifteen minute had passed by, to Ginny who was standing next to her.  
"He's just late," Said Ginny.  
After she said that Ron ran up to Hermione wearing his silver robes and silver mask.  
"Ron," Hermione looked at him weirdly, "Where's your mask made of blue?"  
"My what?" He asked weirdly.  
"You know, in the letter it said you'd be wearing a mask made of blue."  
"Never mind that." Said Ron pulling Hermione into his arms and trying to cup her chin in his hand, glad finally had Hermione, "lets make out."  
"Whoa-What?" Said Hermione pushing Ron away from her, "How about lets not."  
"Come on." Said Ron trying to pull her into him again, "At least dance with me."  
"No Ron," Said Hermione breathing hard, "tell me why I was waiting in the middle of the dance floor."  
"I dunno… You want us to be the center of attention?"  
"No," Said Hermione tears in her eyes, "Because in the letter it said to met here, in the letter it said you'd be wearing a blue mask."  
"Who cares about the letter? I brought you here didn't I? Now lets dance."  
"I do, I care about the letter, which I can see you didn't write after all." The tears were now falling from Hermione's eyes.  
"You know why I said that? Because I was losing my date to a guy she doesn't even know! How sad is that? Really!" Ron yelled at her, in which point a lot of people had turned to see what was going on, "Your such a slut!"  
The tears were streaming now, like a river.  
"Hey," Said a voice behind Ron, "Is there a problem here?"

A hand spun Ron around; Hermione wiped her eyes to see a tall, blond haired boy looking at Ron with anger.

"That's not," Said the mystery guy, "a good way to speak to a lady."  
"I'll be the boss of how I talk to my girlfriend." Snapped Ron grabbing the hand on the shoulder and throwing it away from him.  
"If you talk to her that way she's not going to be your girlfriend soon." The stranger snapped back.  
"Back off." Ron spat.  
"Who even said I was your girlfriend?" Cried Hermione as Ginny hugged her trying to calm her.  
"See? Even she agrees." The stranger was right up in Ron's face now.  
Which it seemed, Ron didn't like because the next thing Hermione remember was Ron's fist meeting the stranger's stomach.  
The stranger groaned with pain as he swung his fist at Ron's face with hit, making Ron's nose bleed. Then he kicked Ron in the chest, causing him to have a coughing attack.  
Ron pushed the stranger to the ground and hit him in the face three times, hitting near his eye, with in this point his mask fell off.  
That's when Hermione noticed the mask was blue. And that the stranger was standing in the middle of the dance floor, which meant…  
"Stop!" Hermione pushed back from Ginny to grab the two boys and try to pull them away from each other, the stranger stopped when Hermione asked, but Ron continued to hit him.  
"She said," Said a voice pulling Ron back, "Stop!"  
"Harry!" Hermione cried running up to him, after he had placed Ron on the floor away from the stranger.  
"I missed you!" She cried as she flung her arms around him but not for long because Ginny came up and started hugging him too.  
"Now what," Said Harry after the girls had had their hugs, "Is going on?"  
"He was getting up in my face! Telling me how to treat Hermione!" Said Ron standing up.  
"But I believe," Said the stranger also standing up, "that the word slut was put in to use."  
"Ron," Said Harry turning to him, "Is this true?"  
"Well yeah, but you have to believe this, I only said it because I was mad, mate, okay?" Said Ron fast.  
"Don't tell me," Harry said, "Tell Hermione."  
Ron spun around to look at Hermione, "Hermione…I want to…apologize?"  
Hermione looked mad, "Ron, just leave me alone right now."  
"Fine." Was the only thing and said and he stormed off.  
"What's got into him these days?" Ginny asked, as Harry grabbed her and started dancing as a slow song came on.  
"Hermione, as you can tell, I'm the one who wrote that letter and it would mean a lot to me if you would dance with me." Smiled the stranger offering his hand.  
"I'd love to." 


	5. Expelled

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Whispered the stranger in her ear.  
Hermione thought for a minute then said, "Maybe for other people but not for me."  
The stranger nodded as he spun her around.  
"So…" Said Hermione thinking of something to change the subject, "What's your name again?"  
"Umm…" ,Malfoy started but was stopped when Professor McGonagall spoke up.  
"Welcome to the first annual Hogwarts Christmas Masked Dance. I have a few announcements before we get on with our dance. Would Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle please report to my office. Also I would like to announce the arrival of our new student, who has just moved from Canada to here, he was attending Dungstang before but now will be attending our school, We were informed that his parents had changed their minds and were going to send him to Dungstang once more, but this morning I was informed that he would actually be coming here, so put your hands together for Derek Hummer."  
There was a room full of clapping as the students waited for Derek to come on the stage but no one appeared.  
"Umm… Derek are you in this room?" Professor McGonagall looked around the room until her eyes fell upon Malfoy, "Derek would you please step up on the stage?"  
Malfoy couldn't believe it; she was looking straight at him!  
"Umm…Me?" Draco asked in his new softer voice.  
"Do you see any other Canadians in here named Derek? Of Course you, boy!"  
Some one pushed him in the back towards the stage until he was pulled up onto it, the light from the stage was a blinding light.  
"Now, The Head Boy and Girl suites are ready, but I see I'm going to have to announce that your Head Boy, Draco Malfoy has been expelled." Professor McGonagall announced.  
There were gasps from the people around.  
Malfoy's jaw dropped, "What?" He screamed.  
Professor McGonagall gave him a weird look, "Yes He and his friends, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle, I'm very sorry to say, were proven to be death eaters spying on us all."  
More gasps. Malfoy fiddled with the buttons on his robes, it was true, he and his friends had been working for He Who Must Not Be Named in secret, now everyone knew…  
"I knew it!" Someone yelled.  
"He had it coming!" Others yelled.  
"About time he was expelled!"  
"That idiot!"  
"Yes, Yes. I'm sure we all have our things to say. But in the mean time, I'd like to announce your new Head Boy; the boy attending this school with the highest marks is none other then our new student Mr. Hummer!"  
Claps came from all around, whoops and yells.  
"Here's your badge, well done." Professor McGonagall whispered in Malfoy's ear.  
Then Professor Slughorn tapped her on the shoulder and Malfoy heard him whisper, "We got Crabbe and Goyle but we can't find Malfoy."  
"One more announcement," Professor McGonagall yelled out, "I've just told you about the students that have been expelled but Draco Malfoy has gone missing, be on the look out, that is all."  
Malfoy jumped down from the stage as Hermione ran to him and said excitedly, "Oh Derek! Isn't it wonderful, your Head Boy as I am Head Girl, this is so exciting!"  
"Oh very." He said, actually worried.  
"Do you want to dance some more?" Hermione asked shyly.  
"Sur…Owe!" Malfoy grabbed his arm as it stung with a great pain.  
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked taking his hand and trying to lift up the arm of his robe so she could she what was hurting him.  
"No!" Malfoy pulled his arm out of her reach, he knew what was wrong, the Dark Lord was calling him through his Dark Mark.  
"I'm sorry I was just trying to help…"  
"Oh no, it's not that, I got a burn from cooking and it's acting up, I just need to…to…use the bathroom and put some cool water on my arm, then I'll be fine, I promise."  
"Well okay, you better go than."  
Malfoy ran as fast as he could to the boy's bathroom, but before he opened the door he felt himself being transported… 


End file.
